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| Jesus Collapses Under the Cross by Gustave Dore |
"As they went out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name. They compelled this man to carry his cross. And when they came to a place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull)..." Matt.27:32
"They pressed into service a passer-by coming from
the country, Simon of Cyrene (the father of Alexander and Rufus), to
bear His cross..." Mark 15:21
Maybe he was compelled, maybe Roman law didn't give him much choice but in the midst of Jesus' humiliation and agony, Simon blessed the Messiah. We don't know much about this man. We know he was from Cyrene (modern-day Libya). We know he had at least two sons (Alexander and Rufus). We know he was just passing by, wrong-place-wrong-time. And we carried the cross of Jesus. I love Simon for that!
